ACLU calls out Northbrook and Highland Park libraries over room rental policies

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. - The ACLU of Illinois has put two north suburban library districts on notice about room rental policies that they say violate the First Amendment. 

In separate letters to the Northbrook and Highland Park public libraries, the ACLU warned that policies imposing hefty extra fees for "safety" or "security" reasons should be reversed immediately.

The issue with the Northbrook Public Library's policy surfaced after a request to show the film Israelism in September. 

Once the film screening was announced and listed on the library’s events calendar, staff received angry emails criticizing the film’s content and warning of protests at the event. 

While none of the messages threatened violence, the Northbrook Police Department suggested the library hire an outside security firm for the screening.

The library then allegedly informed the people who planned to screen the film that they would have to cover the costs of the outside security firm and additional liability insurance before the screening could take place.

The sponsors then canceled the screening. 

"In short, due to the angry reaction to the film’s ideas, the library imposed a fee that ultimately prevented the film from being shown," said Rebecca Glenberg, Chief Litigation Counsel for the First Amendment, at the ACLU of Illinois. "The library’s handling of the controversy encourages members of the public who are unhappy about a group’s use of a library to shut down the event by creating a sufficient hue and cry."

In another letter to the Highland Park Public Library Board of Trustees, the ACLU of Illinois pointed out that the library had recently updated its rules for using the auditorium and its largest meeting room. 

Now, the library requires proof of liability insurance and charges extra fees for security and other related services, but only when the staff deems it necessary.

"A library cannot be a public space where all points of view are welcomed and presented to the public if people are given a veto over the content to be presented – which is the practical effect of imposing fees for safety or security," said Glenberg. "At a moment when diverse educational materials are under attack, we need local libraries to be a beacon for the full exchange of ideas in our communities."